Alumni Spotlight

Who's in the next Alumni Spotlight Natalie Sherman, Class of 1938

It's the "Spring" 2007 Issue and we are proud to feature William P. Marchione, Ph.D., '60.

Know of an "alum" that should be featured here? Please let us know. It can be anyone living or deceased whose story will enlighten our members and readers.

E-mail us information @ bhsalumniassn@aol.com

Bill Marchione...Mr. Allston / Brighton

Alumni Spotlight

William P. Marchione, Ph.D. (BHS, class of 1960)

Having graduated from Brighton High in 1960 with the benefit of summer school credits (on that account 1960 alumni won’t find Bill the yearbook!), he attended Boston University where he earned a BA in History & Government, and then George Washington University, where he earned a MA in history. “History has always been my passion, even when I was in Grade school. It was just about the only thing I was good at back then. There are some people who would suggest that’s still the case.”After completing graduate school Bill took a job as a teacher of American History in the Norwell Public schools, remaining there until 1998. In 1983 he was elected a member of the Boston School Committee, representing Allston-Brighton, serving during his tenure as Chair of the Subcommittee on Curriculum and Instruction. In the intervening years he carved out a career for himself as a Boston historian, writing and lecturing on local history topics, especially the history of Allston-Brighton, the community into which he was born and in which he has lived all of his life. He first became involved with the Brighton-Allston Historical Society in 1970, shortly after its establishment, and has held the post of President ten times over the years.He is married to the former Mary Ann Cuggino of Brighton. They have two children, David and Karen.
David graduated from Brighton High in 1985.In 1994 he earned another degree, a Ph.D. in Urban History from Boston College.He has served on the Boston Landmarks Commission since 1995, the city agency that oversees the administration of Boston’s Landmarks Act.After his retirement from Norwell schools in 1998, he began teaching part-time at area colleges. He is currently an Adjunct Professor at MassBay Community College, teaching courses in American History.Over the past two decades he has written five books, hundreds of published articles, and has developed a long list of lectures on Boston area topics. His books have included “The Bull in the Garden: A History of Allston-Brighton”; “Images of America: Allston-Brighton”; “The Charles: A River Transformed”; “The Italian-Americans of Greater Boston: A Proud Tradition”, and his latest, “Allston-Brighton in Transition: From Cattle Town to Streetcar Suburb”, is due to appear this April.At the moment, the most exciting project he is working on is the “Brighton-Allston Heritage Museum” which opened on Saturday, February 24, 2007 at the lower level of the Veronica Smith Senior Center at 20 Chestnut Hill Avenue, just outside of Brighton Center. One of his hopes for the Heritage Museum is that it will establish a close working relationship with the local schools and that teachers will be motivated to bring their classes to the Museum on a regular basis.